HR: 1340h
AN: C33B-1127    [Abstracts]
TI: A New Coupling of Ocean and Ice Models, With Application to the Okhotsk Sea
AU: * Zanzig, R J
EM: zanzig@ocean.washington.edu
AF: School of Oceanography University of Washington, Box 357940, Seattle, WA 98195 United States
AU: Bitz, C M
EM: bitz@atmos.washington.edu
AF: Atmopheric Sciences University of Washington, Box 351640, Seattle, WA 98195 United States
AU: Thompson, L
EM: luanne@ocean.washington.edu
AF: School of Oceanography University of Washington, Box 357940, Seattle, WA 98195 United States
AB: The Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) and the sea ice component of the NCAR Community Climate System Model, CCSM Sea Ice Model (CSIM), have been coupled to create a regional ice-ocean model of the Okhotsk Sea. ROMS is a free surface, hydrostatic, terrain following coastal ocean model that includes tides. CSIM is a state-of-the-art dynamic-thermodynamic sea ice model. Together, these models are used to investigate sea ice and water mass formation in the Okhotsk. The Okhotsk is important because of its influence on the formation of North Pacific Intermediate Water (NPIW), which has its source in the dense water formed along the Okhotsk Sea shelves. Coastal polynyas and tidal mixing both significantly affect dense water formation. Sensitivity experiments were performed to investigate the importance of tidal mixing on sea-ice extent, dense water formation and polynas. Additional experiments were performed to investigate the influence of brine rejection on dense water formation. Runs with interannual variability in atmospheric forcing were performed to initiate large interannual variations in sea-ice cover and compared with runs with annually periodic forcing.
DE: 0750 Sea ice (4540)
DE: 4534 Hydrodynamic modeling
SC: Cryosphere [C]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005